KANO STATE, NIGERIA.
Amirah gave out a long sigh when she settled her foot in their boy's quarters where the dimly lit orange bulb light up the room. She could see Afaf reading again by the corner facing Najla as she walk around to pick and arrange her toys. She just needs to pray isha and lie down to sleep, she don't have the energy to play with her that day, she needs to sleep or go crazy. The day has already been long and tiring, one more moment of nonsense will lead to her trauma.
"Assalamu Alaykum." She said the taslim in a tired weary voice, her eyes dropping slightly due to fatigue.
"Wa'alaykum assalam. I'm so hungry, Ami. I hope Uzair helped with some food today, I can't even concentrate." Afaf cried when she saw the paper bag her sister is holding, tears gushed down her eyes in happiness and she leaped to take it from her tired sister.
Taking two of the five plates they have and the only two cups they own, she served the food and orange juice Uzair managed to squeeze into the paper bag for them. She couldn't wait for Amirah to even remove her clothes and makeup to change into casual ones like she normally does but started eating after serving Najla. They ate heartily while humming to weird noise coming from the immortal radio beside them.
Afaf was so hungry the whole day after coming back from school with Najla. She goes to school with her when she has only one period then give one of her friends in the hostel to babysit her for the time being. She couldn't eat a thing because the money they have isn't enough and Najla wanted to take friso cream, she bought it with the whole money leaving her hungry for the day. She wished it was a Monday or Thursday so she could just fast, that is what she does.
But she can't thank her younger sister enough for what she's been doing for them. She became the elder sister even though she is the youngest. Even their oldest sister Arwa can't do what Amirah is doing. Arwa don't even have the money to send to them to take care of her daughter, everything is so tight. Afaf is only grateful that she has her younger sister, or she wouldn't know where they'd end up in. Everything has been so messy for them.
"Assalamu Alaykum." They heard a manly voice calling out from their door so the duo adjusted their head ties and wrap it to their chest then answered while telling the person to come in. Their pajamas are decent enough for any non-mahram to see them in since it's huge cotton trouser and shirts, Amirah is wearing one of Imad's shirt she stole.
Came in Mukhtar, Husna's older brother that helped Afaf repair the old laptop given to her by a friend. He is a tall dark man, though he looks to be younger than his age of twenty five. He has a dazzling smile that could blind the sun's while his dimple deepened even as he talks. He has been a great support to both Amirah and Afaf ever since they packed into their house as tenants with his grandparents. Both the girls take him as the older brother they never had and so did he.
"I thought I could bring this for you." He passed them a black nylon leather which Afaf took from his hands with a huge smile knowing what is inside.
"Ah, thank you so much, Ya Muky." She grinned widely, already opening the leather and the newspaper inside. He bought them suya like he does once almost every week.
"Don't mention. I should get going, I have to work early tomorrow. And why is this one so quite?" He asked the question, moving his leg to show Amirah whose eyes are dropping and rising like she can't even hear them.
"I think she is just too tired today and is also worried about something." Afaf answered, looking keenly at her sister who still doesn't know what they are talking about.
She knows her sister like the back of her hand and whenever she looks this faraway, then she is thinking about her ex husband. She knows something happened in the palace that day but she will wait until tomorrow to ask what is it. Either he is back or she heard something about him that triggered his thoughts, she can't do anything when it is all her sister's fault. She can't even defend her in court even if she was given the chance to, she will fail.
"Okay then. Goodnight!" He called out, playing with Najla's cheeks for some seconds making her giggle then he disappeared out from the room.
Afaf brought her attention back to her sister, she didn't even notice that their guest has left the room and that they can continue eating, with even suya to make it more sweet. The girl looks lost which makes Afaf think whether she has appetite to eat the food. She shook her head and continue to eat, sharing the suya for them. Each one of them got five pieces of it, Najla included since she loves meat more than she loves milk ever since she was eight months.
"Amirah, eat your food and tell me what happened today." Afaf finally had enough of seeing her sister like that so she hit her thigh making her wince in pain.
"Nothing happened, I'm just tired since our poses were changed today." She shrugged, eating the food hastily clearly to avoid talking about what had transpired that day in the Palace.
If anything, she wants to forget about it and just wake up the next day to find out it's all a dream, nightmare. She saw Imad, he is married to one beautiful Afghanistan, he is happy with his new wife, he has forgotten about his ex wife, he has moved on away from her, he looks more handsome than he does some years back, she helped his new wife got ready and also cooked food for her. What more is she to see while working as their chambermaid?
She hopes she can hold up for a year.
.....
She sighed in agitation when she found out she really wasn't dreaming and that Imad is back and also married. It was the next morning around five thirty in the morning when she called Husna to pleat the hair for her. The girl came out holding her phone, a small tecno given to her by her older brother. Amirah also uses the phone to watch makeup and some other things she can't do with her Nokia torchlight.
"The youngest Prince is back Ya Amirah! Have you met him already?" She gushed while looking at her phone making Amirah curious to see what is going on but she refrained from being too curious or blow her cover.
Husna doesn't know about her being Imad's first wife, ex wife. She didn't tell her and neither has she ever asked about it seeing it is not important. The girl is always obsessed with the Royals, be it anyone with title around the city of Kano so it is no surprise that she knows about Imad coming back home. Though she didn't want to look too curious, she lean down a little to see what she is talking about but can't see making her frustrated, she needs to ask what is it now.
"No, I haven't met him. What are you looking at?" She finally asked, feigning nonchalance as she continue to work on the girls stubborn hair. She stopped using relaxer making it hard but natural nonetheless.
"On internet, Instagram to be exact. There is this account meant for the Royals and I wish I know who handles it, they know everything about them. See this photo of him coming out from the airport, those shades, damn." Husna gushed in enthusiasm, pushing her small phone to Amirah's eyes who was quick to lean down and see what is happening.
"Wow, nice." She moved back, gulping back the hard lump that suddenly formed in her throat. She doesn't want to see him looking all good and happy while she is still wallowing in pity.
"Woah, is he married again already?" Husna asked loudly, her hand flying to her mouth while she looks at whatever it is in her phone. Again, Amirah got curious and lean down on Husna's shoulder to see what is going on.
There in Husna's small phone is a photo of Usayma and Imad walking into the cars waiting just outside the airport for them. The caption underneath is written as 'Is the youngest Prince married again?' Then too many comments were written below, almost five hundred and fifty three but she could only see two. All the usernames look familiar to her eyes but she paid no heed and only read what it said in front of the names.
rahmatu_sani: At least he gets sense to marry again than staying with the other bitch.
zainab_abu: Oops, where is the other wife? Oh right, she was divorced a day after her wedding, how sad.
Each of them have too many emojis of laughter making her blood, she knew those people. They were once her friends in highschool the same set of friends that force her into hugging someone only to have it sent to her ex husband who of course was blinded with his trust for her to believe them. She gritted her teeth and took the phone from Husna who only sat looking at Amirah's new change of behavior before it all appeared right in front of her eyes.
Woah, was she too naïve to notice that Amirah is the same Amirah that married to youngest Prince and got divorced the very next day. Just looking at her at that moment clicked something in her brain, it all came flooding back to her. Her classmates asking where the Prince's ex wife is in their house, she will only laugh it off saying there is no princess in their house. The defensive eyes that will stare back at her when she tries insulting Imad's first wife, so this is it?
She was the youngest Prince's first wife?!
Amirah is too engrossed into seeing those two girls that almost broke her life into pieces. Thank God as soon as she tapped the first name, it directed her to the main account or she wouldn't know how to do it. The girl Rahmatu Sani was one of her closest friends and seeing her now looking old for her own age just made her feel this odd sense of satisfaction. From the looks of it, she is still single since none of her photos are with a man nor did she add the Mrs to her name, she vowed to do that when she gets married or even engaged.
She has one thousand followers, following three thousand with ten posts of her ugly face. Amirah rolled her eyes and logged out, not even wanting to see what goes on in the girls life. Lastly, she tapped on Zainab Abubakar's and found out she is also single and looks more older than Rahmatu. Both the girls have photos of themselves together and this one has the worst followers of three hundred following two thousand and something. Amirah mentally laughed, serves them right.
She passed the phone back to Husna with a smile of satisfaction marring her face. Her enemies are falling apart themselves even though they are still young by age, they look older than their ages. They are both older than her with two years, it had always makes her wonder why they wanted to be her friend when they are older. Well, she found out and dumped them right away.
"You are the Amirah." Husna found her voice after a few minutes of scrutinizing the girl in front of her. She said it in more of a statement than a question making Amirah still.
"What?" She wanted to hear her right, maybe it was just her ears playing tricks to her like it always does.
"You are the Amirah that got married to Prince Imad then he divorced her the next day. Is that why you use makeup before going to work? It that why you close your face with niqab while leaving the house?" Husna threw the questions at her feeling slightly betrayed by the girl she considered friend and also an older sister. Didn't she trust her enough to tell her what happened?
"I am." Amirah sighed, there is no way she could escape this even if miracle will happen. Husna can be very persistent so it's better to be done with it.
Just then Afaf and Najla walk in looking thoroughly washed from their bath. She fidgeted, letting go of Husna's hair that she already gathered in her hands to continue plaiting.
"Why didn't you tell me about it? Was I not trustworthy?" There was hurt in her voice which makes Amirah look hopelessly at Afaf who only gave them a perplexed gaze.
"That is not it, Husna. My past is not something I like talking about to everyone. And yes, I've met Imad yesterday and I also met his new wife. Are you happy now?" She yelled the last part then stood up to leave the room, she can take bath now.
Her defense mechanism is yelling at people when she doesn't want to talk about something with them, she needs to slip away.
Afaf and Husna have their mouth in an 'O'. Afaf is because she didn't know about Imad coming back and Amirah meeting him while Husna is overall confused about the whole matter. How didn't she notice that the first time she doubted her? She has always had her doubt but seems like she was too dumb to even notice something right in front of her eyes like her grandmother says. Well, it's not her fault that Amirah has changed, she looks more thinner.
"Hello, Ya Arwa?" Afaf took the phone call from Amirah's Nokia, she has left it in the room when she angrily left.
"Afafffff, I need to talk to Amirah right now." There was excitement in her voice which has Afaf's heart beating more wildly in happiness. She knew this is going to be a good news from her sister's voice.
"She is currently taking her bath, tell me what it is." She urged, sitting comfortably on the mattress while looking g as Husna left the room to give her privacy, she needed that.
"Amirah can work in Aminu's working place as his replacement before we come back!" She broke the news, her grin stretching as she utter each word in glee.
"Are you serious?" Afaf jumped from the bed, startling Najla from playing with the unwashed plates by the end of the room.
"Dead serious. Tell her to flash me as soon as she comes out." And then she hung up the phone leaving Afaf smiling like a Cheshire cat, finally, there is good news in their threshold.
Sup?!
How is everyone doing? I hope no one is in isolation😹 biko, I don't want any second lockdown when the first is already as bad as it is. What is going to happen? You guys are not even guessing😥 Juma'at Karim💫
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RQ: Have you ever farted loudly in class? What did you do after that? Haven't? What would you do if you do it? Hehehe, I'll laugh and start looking for who did it with others😹 You?
Aishatu.
Xx